Monday, December 31, 2012

Training Diary 24th-30th Dec


Monday Dec 24th. HRV=61 Red.

Mon ithlete HRVLooks like today is a rest day but I don’t mind.  Spent the day out and about with a lot of walking and some last minute Christmas shopping.  Retested again late afternoon to check my recovery and got a result of 91 which must be my highest ever.  Decided to take a chance and went for a short run but threw in 6* 1 minute fast and felt all the better for it.
Plan for tomorrow is to eat, drink and be merry.

Tuesday Dec 25th. HRV=62 White.

Tues ithlete HRVToday is a rest day and I’ll be trying not to overdo it with the food and drink without appearing obvious. There’s a local 4.2 mile race on tomorrow and if that fits in with the home itinerary I’ll take it.  Tomorrow’s possible race won’t be mentioned or used as an excuse not to over indulge but I will try to pace myself.  Think for yourself but sometimes you need to behave like others.
Plan for tomorrow is a 4.2 Mile race or a longer steady run depending on my waking time.

Wednesday Dec 26th. HRV=76 Green.

Weds ithlete HRVA good result even though I’m feeling slightly bloated and sluggish but waking without the alarm and in good time to drive to the race means the decision is made.  I’ve never regretted running but have often regretted not running!  Arrived at the race venue with little time to spare and yet again missed my warm up.  This was an unplanned race and to make it worthwhile I decided to run at slightly faster than my Tempo pace with my HR at 90% of HR max.  Got trapped at the start and for the first Km I was trying to find an opening that would allow a break from the pack.  By the time this happened the field was well spread out and I was too far back to make any impression on the results.  I ignored what was going on around me and got into my own rhythm quite quickly and ran it steady all the way.  My pace changed with the lie of the land but my HR stayed constant at 158-160bpm.  Finished in 25:09 and I’m quite happy with that as my recent training has all been about strength & endurance rather than speed and I’m running on tired legs that are far from race ready.
Plan for tomorrow is up in the air at the moment as we’re visiting friends tonight so that could be a deciding factor plus I have a long drive.

Thursday Dec 27th. HRV=60 Amber.

Thurs ithlete HRVAn expected low result after all of yesterday and don’t think I’ll have time to run today as I’ve a 4hr car journey that might take a little bit longer.  Having a low result makes the decision to rest easier as I know it’s of more benefit than training.
Plan for tomorrow is run to and from work at an easy pace to work off a bit of Christmas and start getting back to a normal routine.

Friday Dec 28th. HRV=82 Green.

Fri ithlete HRVA good result and helped banish the second thoughts I was having about running to work.  Shortly after leaving my house I was wondering if I should have saved myself for a faster session later on but although my score is showing good signs of recovery I can feel a heaviness in my legs and that’s the result of a few days away from a normal diet.  Ran home again at a slightly faster pace.  Over the next few days I’ll make the effort to recover and refuel.
Got an offer of a lift to the Parkrun so that’s my plan for tomorrow.

Saturday Dec 29th. HRV=71 White.

Sat ithlete HRVA good result after yesterday’s split session but on waking with the alarm I wanted to just switch it off and stay in bed.  Not feeling great and my legs are stiff and heavy.  Went to the race with no expectations but did start up front and planned on staying with the lead runners for as long as possible.  My start was slow and I got caught behind a group of approx 20 on a 3 person wide footpath.  The race starts with a slight climb and then a sharp turn right before a slight but short downhill and it was here that I made a break to catch the lead runners.  It felt more of an effort than last week but I stuck with the plan and held my ground even though the temptation to slow down was always there.  Finished in 6th Place with a time of 18:35 and although a lot slower than last week it’s my 3rd race in a less than ideal week and not forgetting I ran close to 40K yesterday.
Plan for tomorrow is an early start for a Team training session on the beach pulling a tyre or weighted sled.

Sunday Dec 30th. HRV=69 White.

Sun ithlete HRVWoke early and felt slightly congested before testing and wasn’t expecting such a high result.  I was planning on running before the tyre hauling session but decided to forget about the run and just concentrate on the more important Team session.   Went back to bed for an extra 2 hours and drove to the training venue.  The objective of this workout is to train the event specific movement rather than just the muscles and today we spent 3-hrs at a consistent pace hauling a weight of over 30Kg.
Plan for tomorrow is a running commute to and from work.

Weekly Summary

This week was more about damage limitation than proper training and I think it went better than expected with the inclusion of a few short races that served as quality sessions.  The blue line is starting to curve upwards and that’s a good way to end the year.
Week ithlete HRV chartPlan for next week is to include a blood test as I want to start using Inside Tracker to ensure I’m in the best possible condition in the build up for my departure to Siberia as I know from experience that a change in diet caused by unfamiliar surroundings can have a negative effect on the overall experience.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Training Diary 17th- 23rd December


Monday Dec 17th. HRV=71 White.

Mon HRVA great result after a tough session yesterday and I put it down to the extra effort I put into my recovery.   Yet again I did the same session as I’ve done for the last 2 Monday’s with similar results.  Session was 16K with the middle 9K @ just under 4mins per K on the Track.
Lower than expected after a rest day and I suspect it’s down to a cumulative fatigue from a heavy week.  I’ll ease back or do similar to last week rather than trying to train harder and I’ll make sure to have a few early nights as sleep is a very important part of the recovery process.  Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of Squats and Deadlift followed by a lunchtime run of 40 mins.

Tuesday Dec 18th. HRV=65 White.

Tues HRVWoke before the alarm and HRV slightly lower than expected but then again last night was a hard run after a hard run.   Early morning strength session consisting of 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 57.5Kg (+2.5Kg) and 3 sets of 3 Deadlift with 102.5Kg (+2.5kg). Yet again I found this session mentally tough and felt slightly nervous with the weight as I seemed to be thinking about what I’d already done rather than what I was supposed to be doing. I was wondering if last night’s session would mean my legs were too tired for what I’m about to do and that’s something I’ll bear in mind before I consider increasing the intensity or duration of my Monday night session.  Similar run to this time last week but shortened it yet again because all I’m looking for is a training induced response rather than a workout that will slow my recovery and adaption.
Plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime run and I hope to be fit enough to run it fast as it’s the Outsider Magazine Awards night and that could mess up my Thursday plan.  Nominated in the ‘Most Inspirational Person’ category.

Wednesday Dec 19th. HRV=67 White.

Wed HRVA bit lower than expected but probably a good thing as I can feel the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) in my legs.  Feeling a bit lazy about my lunchtime run but because I don’t have a window of opportunity later, I’ll do what I can when I can.  Easy run of 8K in just under 40 minutes, the DOMS are still there but the guilt is gone.  Didn’t win the award but happy to say my Team mate Mark Pollock did and because he wasn’t there I was asked to collect it in his place.  Honoured to be nominated and honoured to accept the award for Mark.  Had a great night and had a chance to mingle with like minded people and meet with some old friends.
Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of mostly Power Clean and that’s as far as the plan goes.

Thursday Dec 20th. HRV= 67 White.

Thurs HRVFeeling a bit tender this morning after a late night and early morning, had a few pints but avoided the takeaway and drank a bottle of coconut water before going to bed.  Have a sore head and the DOMS.  .  HRV higher than I was expecting but resting heart rate is also higher but could be a lot worse. Early morning strength session of 5*3 Power Clean with 45Kg (-3) and 3*3 Strict Press with 35Kg (-2).  Dropped the weight slightly as my concentration levels were low and when doing an exercise like Power Clean you need to be switched on.  Don’t feel like doing a lunchtime run.
Plan for tomorrow is an evening run if time allows with the intensity depending on my HRV result.

Friday Dec 21st. HRV=75 Green.

Fri HRVA good result but might not get the chance to make the most of it as it’s a busy day but I’ll be ready to run if the window of opportunity presents itself!  Lunchtime meeting with ‘Team Mark Pollock’ regarding logistics for the Siberian Black Ice Race.  As expected the run didn’t happen.
Plan for tomorrow is an early run followed by a 3-hr drive to start my Christmas break.

Saturday 22nd Dec HRV =67 White.

Sat HRVLower than expected.  Decided to do the Parkrun again as a short fast run is sometimes more beneficial than a slower longer run and it’ll wake me up ahead of a long drive. Barely made it to the venue on time and my warm up was nothing more than a short jog to the start line. Took off with the lead runners and the pace felt very comfortable which had me wondering if I should push on to force a faster pace but I took the easy option and just stayed with the pack. The course itself was almost cross country as a result of recent heavy rain and there were many muddy puddles to run through and in parts it was quite slippy. At 4K we were running as a group of 5 and then it opened up and just like before I couldn’t follow the sprint. Finished in 4th place with 18.10 and 3 seconds improvement on last time. Next time I won’t be as cautious.  Followed the race with a  5hr drive that should have only taking 3hrs and missed my dinner. Not happy but that’s life.
Plan for tomorrow is a medium to long run at an easy pace.

Sunday 23rd Dec HRV =59 Amber.

sun HRVWasn’t expecting this but then again yesterday was far from ideal. Decided not to run but re-tested a few hours later to see how my recovery was coming along and to my surprise got a result of 91. Went for a run but felt heavy in the legs so it might not have been a good idea.  On the plus side it helps keep the weight in check and that’s important over the Christmas period.

Weekly Summary

www.alanrowlette.ieThis week I also accepted the award for Mark Pollock at the Outsider ‘People of the Year’ awards.
Plan for next week is to include a group training session with Team Mark Pollock.
weekly HRV


Thursday, December 20, 2012

Training Diary 10th - 16th December




Monday Dec 10th. HRV=63 White.

Mon ithlete HRVLower than expected after a rest day and I suspect it’s down to a cumulative fatigue from a heavy week.  I’ll ease back or do similar to last week rather than trying to train harder and I’ll make sure to have a few early nights as sleep is a very important part of the recovery process.  Did almost the same session as last Monday but started slower and ended up running faster.  The session felt comfortably hard and I finished knowing I could have done more but at this stage there’s no point in testing my breaking point.  Finished off with an early night.
Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of Squats and Deadlift followed by a lunchtime run of 40 mins.

Tuesday Dec 11th. HRV=75 White.

Tues ithlete HRVWoke before the alarm and HRV shows signs of a good recovery.   Early morning strength session consisting of 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 55Kg and 3 sets of 3 Deadlift with 100Kg.  Squat weight remained the same as last week but had a slight increase with the Deadlift and it felt great hitting that milestone of 100Kg.  Found this session mentally tough and knowing I was going for 100Kg almost gave me a mental block and I think that’s why the squat weight remained the same.  Lunchtime run of 9K in 37 mins.  Pace was a bit slower than last week with heart rate less than 85 percent of max so I cut it short.
Plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime run similar to today or if time allows I’ll do something shorter and follow up with an evening Steady state run of up to 1hr.

Wednesday Dec 12th. HRV=76 White.

Weds ithlete HRVA good result and I’ll make the most of it.  Didn’t have time for a lunchtime run so I ran my evening run a little bit harder by keeping my heart rate above 85 percent of max for just over 1hr.  Ran on the Track yet again as the footpaths were icy and this was quite an effort as my legs were fatigued from yesterday’s strength session and it was mentally tough being on my own.  The mind also needs training and it’s during these sessions that this training happens.
Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of mostly Power Clean and a lunchtime recovery run of 40 mins max.  I’m expecting a red line.

Thursday Dec 13th. HRV=72 White.

Thurs ithlete HRVWasn’t expecting such a high result and maybe my fatigued legs stopped me from over cooking last night.  If all goes to plan today I’ll jump in with the club session this evening. Early morning strength session of 5*3 Power Clean with 48Kg (+1) and 3*3 Strict Press with 37Kg (+2).  A repeat of last week with the Power Clean so I’m happy with that and I’m getting back on track with the Strict Press. Lunchtime recovery run of 40 minutes and I’m feeling the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).  Took it nice and easy with the emphasis being on recovery rather than a training effect.  Club session was 4* 600M with 3 min recovery and took a chance on it but didn’t have it in my legs and felt the pressure during the second rep.  Made a judgement call and stopped before I needed to.  It seems like last night’s session has caught up on me.
Plan for tomorrow is an evening run if time allows with the intensity depending on my HRV result.

Friday Dec 14th. HRV=70 White.

Fri ithlete HRVMuch higher than expected as my recovery was far from ideal last night.  Found it hard getting the time to train today and barely managed 40 minutes as part of a shopping trip so I ran it fast.
Plan for tomorrow is an early session of Tyre Hauling with the Black Ice Race Team starting at 08.00am.  It’ll be long duration but low intensity and if I wake early enough I might go for a run beforehand.
Saturday Dec 15th. HRV=65 White.
Sat ithlete HRVAn expected low score but today is a low intensity day so it makes no difference.  Training didn’t go to plan as the session was cut short after 1hr by the Park Rangers after listing off all the bye laws we had just broken with our Tyre hauling.  Finished off with a 2hr run and the rest of the day was a write off.
Plan for tomorrow is a 1-3hr run at 140-155 bpm or I also have an offer of a race entry for a local 5K so I’ll see how I feel in the morning.

Sunday Dec 16th. HRV=70 White.

Sun ithlete HRVBetter than expected but I’ve had a lie in so my plan changes slightly.   Ran at just above 85 percent (150bpm) of heart rate max until I reached TE of 4.5 which was comfortably hard and it made the most of my available time.  Sweated almost 3Kg for the session and finished feeling spent.  Took it very easy for rest of day as I want to train hard tomorrow and that will all depend on my recovery.  On days of continuous hard training I take a concentrated cherry juice and the one I use is called Cherrygood.

Weekly Summary

A slight dip in my blue line but that’s to be expected after what was possibly my hardest training week in a long time.
Weekly ithlete HRVPlan for next week is to make the most of whatever time I have available as there’s a few forced rest days the following week.  I’ve been nominated for an Outsider Magazine  ’People of the Year Award’ with the awards night next Wednesday so that could be a day off leading to a day off.http://www.cherrygood.com/

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Training Diary 03rd - 10th December.


Monday Dec 03rd. HRV=70 White.

Mon ithlete HRVHigher than it should be after a race and goes to show I didn’t give it my all.  Not for the want of trying but it just seems like my fast twitch muscle fibres have switched off and I suppose that’s to be expected with all the longer slower runs that make up the bulk of my training.  Evening run of 75 mins with 40 mins @ 75-85 percent of Heart Rate max to make the most of my post race high score.
Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of Squats and Deadlift followed by a lunchtime run of 40 mins.

Tuesday Dec 04th. HRV=71 White.

Tue ithlete HRVEarly morning strength session consisting of 5 sets of 3 (1 ¼)Squats with 55Kg and 3 sets of 3 Deadlift with 97.5Kg.  A good strong session and it felt easier than previous sessions with lighter weights.  Lifting heavier every week and not noticing the increase with the progressive overload.  Lunchtime 10K in 40.50 mins keeping my heart rate less than 85 percent of max.  Started off easy and pushed on a bit as I felt it was there.  Interesting to see that it’s less than a minute slower than my 10K XC race last Sunday with a lower HR avg.  Should mention that this was flat and less effort than running in XC conditions.
Plan for tomorrow is a lunchtime run similar to today and I’ll adjust the intensity depending on how I feel and if my HRV is higher than today I might do a set of 400s.

Wednesday Dec 05th. HRV=70 White.

Wed ithlete HRVA good result and was secretly hoping it would be lower as I woke with the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).  Didn’t have a lot of time today and missed my lunchtime opportunity.  Only managed to fit in a run of less than 1 hr while my son was at football training which of course is better than nothing.  The footpaths were icy so I ran on the track again which also got a bit icy and forced a slower pace.  10K in 43 minutes and frozen fingers.
Plan for tomorrow is an early strength session of mostly Power Clean and a lunchtime recovery run of 40 mins max.

Thursday Dec 06th. HRV=84 Green.

Thur ithlete HRVA great start to the day and changes my plan slightly and I’ll try make the most of the high score.  Early morning strength session of 5*3 Power Clean with 47Kg and 3*3 Strict Press with 35Kg.  This was my best Power Clean session and it looks like I’ve nailed the technique but next week will tell if it was a fluke.  Dropped the weight on the Strict Press as I struggled with proper form last week.  Afternoon run in the wind & rain of 12K with HR avg of 150 bpm (85 percent of max), stopped only because I was stuck for time.  Finished off the day by joining in with a club session of 400M*2 with 1 minute rest in between repeated 3 times with a 5 minute rest between sets.  A great day and I’m hoping I’ve done enough to go Amber tomorrow.  Stress / Rest / Adapt.
Plan for tomorrow is a Recovery run during lunchtime.

Friday Dec 07th. HRV=79 White.

Fri ithlete HRVMuch higher than expected and I’m guessing it’s because of the effort I put into my recovery.  Today’s plan has changed and the pace  / intensity will depend on feel.  Lunchtime run of slightly faster than recovery pace but still Aerobic at less than 80 percent of heart rate max.  That’s all for today as I’m busy later.
Plan for tomorrow is up in the air at the moment and I’ve a few options with first being a 5K race as part of the Park Run series.  If I wake on time I’ll go but won’t be setting the alarm clock because sleep is when the recovery happens and I haven’t woken naturally in a while.

Saturday Dec 08th. HRV=81 White.

ithlete HRVExcellent result and I’ve woken early enough to opt for the 5K race.  Drove to the venue leaving plenty of time for a long warm up and just as well because it was freezing out.  The pre race briefing warned of icy spots and to apply caution at turns but that was all forgotten about when the starter signal went. I got caught in a group just behind the lead group and by 2K I was sitting comfortably in a fighting position for 3rd position.  Held my place until the last 300M but was then left behind in the sprint for the finish line and finished with 6th place in 18:13.
Almost 1 minute off my PB but a good result considering the week I’ve had.  Parkrun Results.
Plan for tomorrow is a 3hr run at 140-155bpm.

Sunday Dec 09th. HRV=50 Amber.

ithlete HRVTotally unexpected and this turns today into a rest day.  Went back to bed and spent the rest of the day trying to convince myself not to run.  Legs say go but heart says no and it’s obeying these warning signs that helps prevent overtraining.  Stress / Rest / Adapt.

Weekly Summary.

Blue line is still showing a slightly upward trend and I’ll try keep it that way until Christmas week.
ithlete HRVLimited time with good planning and the guidance of ithlete meant 3 quality sessions and continuous improvement.  Missed out on my long run but I’d rather miss one session to aid my recovery rather than spend days recovering from a session that might have been that little bit too much.  Train Hard but Train Smart.
Month ithlete HRV & Training loadI plan on doing a separate blog post or posts sometime soon to explain my strength sessions and nutritional plan in a bit more detail. 
Plan for next week is a to include a group training session with the Siberian Black Ice Race Team.